le
satire. "What has come and gone between them two has only settled the
one point he was aimin' to make. He was appointed boss of this outfit in
the absence of the regular foreman. Since then all he has been playin'
for is to hand back his men to the ranch in as good shape as they'd been
handed to him, and without losing any on the road through desertion or
shooting or what not. He had to kick his cook off the train that day,
and the loss made him sorrowful, I could see. But I'd happened to come
along, and he jumped me into the vacancy, and I expect he is pretty near
consoled. And as boss of the outfit he beat Trampas, who was settin' up
for opposition boss. And the outfit is better than satisfied it come out
that way, and they're stayin' with him; and he'll hand them all back in
good condition, barrin' that lost cook. So for the present his point is
made, yu' see. But look ahead a little. It may not be so very far ahead
yu'll have to look. We get back to the ranch. He's not boss there any
more. His responsibility is over. He is just one of us again, taking
orders from a foreman they tell me has showed partiality to Trampas
more'n a few times. Partiality! That's what Trampas is plainly trusting
to. Trusting it will fix him all right and fix his enemy all wrong.
He'd not otherwise dare to keep sour like he's doing. Partiality! D' yu'
think it'll scare off the enemy?" Scipio looked across a little creek
to where the Virginian was helping throw the gathered cattle on the
bedground. "What odds"--he pointed the frying-pan at the Southerner--"d'
yu' figure Trampas's being under any foreman's wing will make to a man
like him? He's going to remember Mr. Trampas and his spite-work if he's
got to tear him out from under the wing, and maybe tear off the wing in
the operation. And I am goin' to advise your folks," ended the complete
Scipio, "not to leave you travel so much alone--not till you've learned
more life."

He had made me feel my inexperience, convinced me of innocence,
undoubtedly; and during the final days of our journey I no longer
invoked his aid to my reflections upon this especial topic: What would
the Virginian do to Trampas? Would it be another intellectual crushing
of him, like the frog story, or would there be something this time more
material--say muscle, or possibly gunpowder--in it? And was Scipio,
after all, infallible? I didn't pretend to understand the Virginian;
after several years' knowledge of him he re